Batter up!

Fort Garry

West End

Whyte Ridge

South Winnipeg

Luis Reis is hoping a few more folks come out swinging this slo-pitch season.

Reis is the president of the South Winnipeg Senior Slo-Pitch League, which gets together every Tuesday and Thursday during the spring, summer and fall in the south end of the city — weather permitting — and he says new members are more than welcome to join in the fun.

“The league is growing every year, and we currently have 90 members,” said Reis, who now lives in the West End, having previously lived in Whyte Ridge for 25 years.

Players gather on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for the first part of the season, switching to Tuesday and Thursday mornings in July and August to avoid the heat and humidity at that time of the year. Ideally, he said, play will continue until Thanksgiving. At press time, Reis said he had pencilled in May 12 as the first session of the season.

“We play when it’s 10 degrees and above,” Reis said. “There’s lots of camaraderie with friends, and in June and August we hold barbecues when we invite players and their families and hold a mini tournament to thank our supporters and families. It’s a really good sense of community. There’s also a banquet in September, when we have a bit of dinner, some speeches, and a dance.”

The slo-pitch sessions are informal and relaxed — people show up to Moffat Field on Clarence Avenue and Hamelin Street.

“Whoever shows up, we divide them up into four teams and play on two diamonds,” Reis said, noting the league falls under the umbrella of the Manitoba Senior Slo-Pitch Tournament League.

“It’s an inclusive league, and players enjoy the time they have with us. It’s more about the camaraderie — have fun, don’t get hurt and be part of an athletic community,” Reis said. “People don’t have to have lots of ball skills, and there’s no umpiring. Over the season, people keep coming back and develop into really good ball players.”

Reis noted the sport is also fairly inexpensive — membership is $60 for the season — which is economically friendly.

“In this day and age, money is hard to come by, and many people are on a fixed budget,” he said.

The origins of the league, which will turn 40 next year, date back to October 1987, when 13 sports-minded seniors met and formed a new slo-pitch league in south Winnipeg, Reis said.

Email southwinnipegslowpitch@gmail.com for more information.